He turned to his old friend as the moonlight exposed the deep lines etched into his face. “After all this time, you want to know why I came back? Perhaps it’s regret, or the weariness of wondering if I could have done something more. Raza and I could have acted sooner if we had just seen the signs—”
“What happened to Bram is done. He is lost. Forever,” Excort said as he looked up at the towering man. “Bram was a good friend and you did the right thing by trying to find him. But he disappeared into the stars, never to return.” He sighed. “The three of you did your best to save what was left of the world. But it was already over. You never bothered to wonder if it was worth fighting for in the first place. They won. They run this planet. It’s a prison now. We live day by day and do the best that we can. It’s all we can hope for.”
“No!” Oslo roared with clenched fists, “I won’t listen to this kind of talk. Not from you, not from Kera. Not from anybody.”
“You have to Oslo,” Excort responded. “Look, here on the island we are able to escape their prying eyes. But once we leave the safety of it, they can track our every move, and that makes it almost impossible to create any meaningful opposition to them. And there is another reason why you don’t hear talk about rebellion and that’s because many generations have since passed. Those that live today don’t know much, if anything, of Earth’s past. The world of today is the only one they know. They don’t realize the tyranny they live under. They don’t know any better because it’s all they have ever known. Look at the students you have assembled here. Do they appreciate their gifts? They probably see them as burdens. What are you going to tell them? That there was a time when heroes and giants roamed this world? That Earth was once a beacon of freedom throughout the known systems? Those days are over. We are just another planet, just another rock, floating in the emptiness of space.”
Oslo shook his head. “No, not true. The world is coming alive. I know it, I can feel it. Cities are growing across every continent. They have commerce, government. They have schools and industry. Look at where Sally and Ray come from. My agents found them at an academy specifically tailored for the paranormal. Granted, it is clandestine. A school within a school, if you will, but their government recognizes how special they are and strive to cultivate and protect them.”
“And what about Breeze? Does he come from a place of tolerance?” Excort asked.
“He does come from a settlement on the outskirts of the Bad Lands named Conception, a small city not known for paranormal living amongst its population. Though I do know of a mountain nearby where travelers from a place unlike ours, reside. I suspect that they play a role in all that has been happening, but in what capacity, I am uncertain. Nevertheless, Conception is known for the aerocraft they build of amazing design and complexity, and I know they have even tried to reach orbit with some of them. What is truly amazing is the settlement has not been attacked from those who watch from above. Where are they? Are they not watching us anymore?” Oslo said as he pointed up at the night sky.
Excort shook his head. “It’s a trap. They are crafty and patient with time on their side. A lot of time. You and I, old friend, have lived far beyond our years. Why stir up the hornet’s nest? Why not just go off into the sunset and let things be. Earth has been quiet and peaceful for so long, let it stay that way. If we stir up trouble, it will arouse them, and I sincerely believe they are dormant solely as a ploy to draw you out. You have been a thorn in their side for what seems like an eternity. Eliminating you would complete their triumph, as you are all that is left of the resistance that has bedeviled them for so long. Just let it go.”
Oslo protested. “I am not all that is left, Raza—”
”—is safe on the mainland and living in obscurity in Appalachia. Go to her and live out your remaining years in peace. Stop torturing the poor woman with your delusions of grandeur and your dreams of revolution. Go to her. Give her the peace of mind she deserves,” Excort said.
Oslo shook his head. “I couldn’t go to her. Not without Nina.”
Excort grimaced. “You know the girl can’t go far from the island and survive. She is safe here with my wife and I and we have practically raised the girl ourselves. She is fine with her life here, so why disrupt it?”
Oslo didn’t know what to say. He had to confess he was a restless soul. He had wandered the planet for so long looking for signs of hope. He just couldn’t let go of the past for it was a large part of what defined him. He could not accept the world as it existed today knowing there was a time it had a glorious and gilded history.
Excort pressed on. “What are you going to say to these young ones you have gathered? That you want to create an army of paranormal soldiers? That you wish to attack an enemy they don’t know even exists? A threat they have never heard of? Earth has been quiet for a long time. Let it stay that way.”
Oslo shook his head. “I cannot rest. I don’t know if I ever can.”
“Then you are doomed to roam the world alone while trying to spread your message upon deaf ears,” Excort replied as he went down the balcony steps and disappeared into the night.
Oslo looked up the star-filled sky and squinted. Sometimes, if the night was clear, he could see them. What appeared to be tiny pinpoints of light that would gently drift amongst the stars were actually observation platforms, jet black cylinders of immense proportions, scanning the planet and searching for signs that the world was not fully subdued. Any and all signs of technological progress, whether they may be the construction of cities to the manufacturing of machines or aerocraft, would elicit immediate punishment. They would dispatch their black clad enforcers, dark angels filled with unfathomable evil, to swoop down and wreak havoc upon the land. The people of Earth were to be driven into submission and live as peasants with no technology or machinery to ease the burdens of life. No exceptions were to be made.
But there was one thing that these dark angels, or the Elephim as they were known to those familiar with their origins, would go through great lengths not to destroy, but to harvest. A prize that was considered to be Earth’s greatest natural resource. Its paranormal children. Only they were spared the wrath from those above and were often taken away before the eyes of their parents and whisked away to the stars and beyond to meet some unknown fate.
But not here, not on this island. Here, they were safe. The Elephim could not penetrate the fog that covered the island and hid them from their malevolent eyes. Here, they were safe on a tiny oasis of freedom in a world that was a prison.
But the platforms and the Elephim that dwelled inside them had been dormant for centuries. Long enough for civilization to spring forth again from the underground and begin anew as the history of their attacks faded dangerously from memory.
Maybe Excort was right, he thought to himself, maybe they have purposefully retreated in a bid to draw him out into the open, then capture and destroy him once and for all.
He dropped his gaze back to the bay as the moon shined like a torch and lit up the island. He had a sudden urge to walk along the shore as he always did when he needed to think. He descended the balcony steps and headed for the beach.
He normally found these walks to be comforting and soothing to his mind. But not tonight. He had students now, something he did not have for so long and his doubts began to wear on him. Was he doing the right thing? Should he listen to Excort and let things be? He became lost in his thoughts and worries as he walked along the shifting sands of the beach.
He swerved off it and walked along a path that led to a hill overlooking the campus. Under the moonlight he stared long and hard at the various buildings that made up Perihelion. His eyes came to a rest upon a lone building that sat like a brooding hulk along the boulevard that divided the campus. It was the Science and Engineering Building, and his memories of it carried him back to a time when he, Raza and Bram conducted experiments there deep below t
he surface and away from prying eyes.
He wanted to go there now and descend to the building’s sub-basements to reminisce about a time when he, along with his wife and best friend, almost discovered the solution that would have removed the threat of the Elephim from Earth forever.
He took in a deep breath and pictured in his mind standing on the steps leading up to the building, and then willed himself to go there. In incremental bursts, he disappeared and re-appeared from view as he traversed down the hill and toward the campus. His eyes glowed as he saw everything as a blur with contrails surrounding him and in mere seconds, traveled a distance that would have taken him an hour on foot.
He stood at the steps and looked up at the arches that lined the roof. Figures dressed in battle garb were chiseled into it, but he couldn’t remember who they were or what they accomplished to earn their place in history. He went up and pushed against the heavy metal doors as their rusty hinges squeaked in protest.
The interior was in shambles with equipment and debris strewn everywhere, and the smell of electrically-charged air filled his nostrils. He made his way past row upon row of electronic equipment, kept under heavy tarp and plastic, to an elevator at the end of a long corridor. He pushed the call button and was not surprised to see it was still working. He had specifically instructed Excort to make sure that, of all of the buildings and equipment on campus to maintain, this building would be his top priority.
The elevator car arrived and the door slid open. He stepped inside; pushing the only button on the panel and the car bumped and shuddered its way down to the lower levels.
What seemed like an endless journey came to an abrupt halt. After a moment of silence, the door opened.
He stood in the elevator to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting of the basement that reverberated with the hum of machinery. He stepped out and paused for a moment to take in the enormity of the basement, and then set about examining every machine and console lined in several rows across the floor. He specifically looked at vid-screens that gave readouts of vital signs, ranging from heart rate and blood flow, to neural activity. These machines were engineered to sustain a life. Machines he and a robot assistant designed and assembled. He shook his head as he tried to remember its name.
He resumed his inspection and was relieved to see everything was fully operational, and then made a mental note to commend Excort. The machinery in this room were all vintage and finding parts was virtually impossible, yet the dwarf somehow managed.
He turned and set his sights upon a pair of oversized steel doors that triggered a flood of memories and transported him to a time when he was a fresh-faced young man eager to please, and ready to take on the world. He thought he had all the answers, but time eventually proved him wrong.
Raza stood before him. She was a petite woman with an oversized personality and a smile that could light up the darkest of rooms.
“Are you ready for this?” she said.
“Yes,” he responded with a foolish grin. They had grown close and he couldn’t ask for a better woman to be in his life.
“When the two of you are done exchanging love notes, I’m ready to get started,” he heard a brash voice off to his side.
It was Bram. His best friend, and a good man. He was also a projector whose abilities were unrivaled by anyone.
Oslo opened his eyes and the memories faded away. He looked up at the imposing steel doors that loomed before him and touched them. The cold steel surface greeted him without empathy. He looked at the keypad mounted on the wall next to them. He had the entry code committed to memory. He could easily type it in and look inside.
His let his hand hover over the keypad, then abruptly shook his head and walked away.
He strode quickly to the elevator and pushed the call button. The door slid open and he rushed in to lean against the side of the car, panting heavily. He thought he was ready to step beyond the steel doors, but the memories came back too hard and too fast. They were going to save the world from certain destruction in that room. They failed.
The elevator traveled up, then grinded to a halt and he jumped out. He rushed through the maze of machines and equipment, down the steps, and onto the boulevard, where he stopped and breathed the warm and humid air. It was nowhere near as refreshing as that of the hills and mountains of his native land, but right now it was better than breathing in the gloomy, air-conditioned sub-basement he just left.
He went back up the steps and pulled the doors shut, then typed a code into the keypad next to it, and received a corresponding beep and a red light, indicating the doors were locked and alarmed. Don’t need any unwanted visitors exploring this building, he thought, especially my new students.
He headed back to his office when he stopped to look up at the stars. Sunrise was not far away and the sky was beginning to light up.
“You’re out there somewhere Bram, I know it,” he said.
The heavens responded with a distant rumble of thunder. He noted the billowing dark clouds on the horizon heading toward the island with streaks of lightning snaking through them like a live wire.
Typical summer weather, he thought and continued on.
SIX
THE NEXT MORNING THE students gathered in the dining hall for breakfast. They shuffled in looking like zombies as Sally’s hair was a tangled mess held up with a band while Ray and Breeze both looked disheveled with wrinkled clothes and tousled hair.
They sat around a wooden table and listened to Excort bang around in the kitchen off to the side.
They avoided eye contact with each other, choosing instead to gaze around the room, noting the holes in the ceiling.
Sally broke the silence. “I preferred Greenbrier. This place smells. Everything is broken and nothing works,” she said and stared at Ray.
He shrugged. “What am I supposed to do about it?”
“Call your father!” she said shrilly. “Make him tell Oslo that this place is a disaster and in need of serious repairs. How in the world could our parents have sent us to this dump? I was perfectly happy at Greenbrier, with its beautiful mountains and tall trees, along with the warm summers and snow in the winter. This place? A humid, roach infested hotel passing itself off as a school. How anyone deals with this heat is beyond me.”
“I like it. It’s definitely a change for me,” Breeze piped in.
“What do you know? You come from a desert with cactus for trees and tumble weeds to keep you amused,” she said with a dismissive wave.
“Hey, it’s not all that bad. We have mountain ranges too. The mornings can be very cool, and the air is clear and you can see for miles. There is a lot of life in the desert, you just have to look.”
“Whatever.” She looked toward the kitchen. “Where is that midget with the food? I’m starving.”
The pots and pans in the kitchen banged even harder, and then stopped when Excort stepped out pushing a cart loaded with plates of food. He plopped down before each of them dishes filled with cuisine they had never seen before.
“What…is this?” Sally poked at her food with a fork. She took a stab at a slice of white fish filet and held it up for all to see.
“Broiled hogfish, plantain chips and seaweed with a bowl of conch chowder,” Excort announced.
The boys paused for a moment as they eyed their plates, then grabbed their forks and knives and tore into their food like ravenous wolves.
Sally would have none of it. “This is not acceptable. This is not even food.” She pushed her plate away, half expecting the boys to stop eating. Her frustration doubled as they ignored her and continued to eat. She crossed her arms and fumed at Ray. He paid her no heed and kept shoveling food into his mouth. Breeze looked up from his plate for a moment and wilted under Sally’s withering gaze.
Like a volcano that had been threatening to erupt, Sally explod
ed.
“Raymond, I demand that something be done about our deplorable conditions. I will not tolerate—”
“What do you want me to do, Sally?” he said as he threw his fork and knife onto his plate. “I’m here with you. I know what it’s like. I see everything around me. I’m here for the same reasons you are, and that’s because of our parents. Do you, of all people, expect me to disobey my father? You’ve met the man. I’m the dutiful son. I obey his commands and do what I’m told. He tells me to pack my things, that I’m transferring here for a summer session, and that you were coming with me. He was never happy with the fact that Greenbrier was not a military academy. He felt we would be better off here, even if it’s just for the summer.”
“You would be better off here, not me!” Sally shot back. “Military academy? Are we expected to use our powers for what? Combat? Against who? I’m not fighting anyone. I don’t even understand why my parents would lie to me about how old and beat up this place is. I didn’t know that this place existed”
Ray shrugged. “Maybe they thought you would be better off here, too. That this place would have something to offer than Greenbrier couldn’t. I don’t know. Before we left, I noticed how weird our parents and instructors had been acting. Everyone seemed so nervous and jumpy. My parents come to me one day and tell me I’m transferring to another school for the summer, and that you would be going too. The next day, we jumped on the transport to come here. I’m telling you Sally, I know as much as you do.”
“You know,” Breeze offered up, “I had a couple of guys from Perihelion come to my house and tell me about this place—”
Breeze Corinth (Book 1): Sky Shatter Page 14
